A technique in which the legs of a connector holding numerous contacts, each contact having a substantially L-shaped leg, are respectively positioned and press-fitted in a board has been practiced in the past.
Conventionally, the method shown in FIG. 13 (see JP8-69828A), for example, has been known as a contact press-fitting method in which substantially L-shaped legs of numerous contacts are respectively positioned and press-fitted in a board.
In FIG. 13, the connector 100 comprises a housing 110 and numerous contacts 120 which are disposed in this housing 110 in the form of a matrix having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns (three rows and a plurality of columns in the example shown in the figure). Furthermore, each contact 120 has a substantially L-shaped leg 121, a press-fitting part 122 that is disposed in the vicinity of the lower end of this leg 121, and a shoulder 123 that is disposed on the upper end of the press-fitting part 122. Moreover, all of the contacts 120 are press-fitted in a board (not shown in the figure) by pressing the shoulders 123 of the respective contacts 120 from above by means of a contact press-fitting apparatus not shown in the figure.
Furthermore, the method shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B (see JP2003-68419A), for example, has been known as another contact press-fitting method in which substantially L-shaped legs of numerous contacts are respectively positioned and press-fitted in a board.
In FIGS. 14A and 14B, the connector 200 comprises a housing 210 and numerous contacts 220A and 220B that are disposed in the form of a matrix having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns (two rows and a plurality of columns in the figure). Furthermore, each of the contacts 220A in the upper rank has a substantially L-shaped leg 221A that protrudes rearward (toward the right in FIG. 14A) from the housing 210, and this leg 221A has a horizontal part 222A that extends horizontally rearward from the housing 210, and a press-fitting part 223A that is bent downward from the horizontal part 222A. Moreover, each of the contacts 220B of the lower rank also comprises a substantially L-shaped leg 221B that protrudes rearward from the housing 210, and this leg 221B has a horizontal part 222B that extends horizontally rearward from the housing 210, and a press-fitting part 223B that is bent downward from the horizontal part 222B. Meanwhile, a plurality of leg accommodating slits 231 that accommodate the legs 221A and 221B of the contacts 220A and 220B at the time of press-fitting, and a housing pressing part 232 that can press the rear-end upper surface of the housing 210 from above at the time of press-fitting, are disposed in a contact press-fitting jig 230. Furthermore, recesses 231A and 231B that can accommodate the respective legs 221A and 221B when the contact press-fitting jig 230 is moved in a direction perpendicular to the press-fitting direction are formed in the inside surfaces of the respective leg accommodating slits 231.
Furthermore, when the press-fitting parts 223A and 223B of the contacts 220A and 220B are press-fitted in the press-fitting holes 241A and 241B of the board 240, the contact press-fitting jig 230 is first caused to approach the board 240 from the rear or from above, and the legs 221A and 221B of the contacts 220A and 220B are caused to advance into the leg accommodating slits 231 of the contact press-fitting jig 230. Then, the ceiling surfaces of the leg accommodating slits 231 are caused to contact the horizontal parts 222A of the contacts 220A in the upper rank, and the rear-end inside surfaces of the leg accommodating slits 231 are caused to contact the press-fitting parts 223A of the contacts 220A in the upper rank. Consequently, a state is produced in which the legs 221A of the contacts 220A in the upper rank and the legs 221B of the contacts 220B in the lower rank respectively face the recesses 231A and recesses 231B as shown in FIG. 14B. Next, from this state, the contact press-fitting jig 230 is moved in a direction perpendicular to the press-fitting direction. As a result, the leg pats 221A and 221B of the contacts 220A and 220B are fitted into the respective recesses 231A and 231B; consequently, a state is produced in which the play of the contacts 220A and 220B and contact press-fitting jig 230 in the forward-rearward direction and the vertical direction is restricted. As a result, the setting of the contact press-fitting jig 230 with respect to the connector 200 is completed; accordingly, if the contact press-fitting jig 230 is moved toward the board 240, the press-fitting parts 223A and 223B of the contacts 220A and 220B that are pressed against the contact press-fitting jig 230 are press-fitted in the press-fitting holes 241A and 241B of the board 240.
Thus, a plurality of leg accommodating slits 231 are formed in the contact press-fitting jig 230, and recesses 231A and 231B that can accommodate the respective legs 221A and 221B when the contact press-fitting jig 230 is moved in a direction perpendicular to the press-fitting direction are formed in the inside surfaces of the respective leg accommodating slits 231; accordingly, there is no need for contact shoulders above the press-fitting parts 223A and 223B in order to press-fit the respective contacts 220A and 220B.
However, in these conventional contact press-fitting methods, the following problems have been encountered.
Specifically, in the case of the method shown in FIG. 13, numerous contacts 120 are disposed on the wall surface of a housing 110 in the form of a matrix having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns (three rows and a plurality of columns in the example shown in the figure) with respect to the wall surface, and the press-fitting parts 122 are also disposed in the same plurality of rows and plurality of columns as those described above (as seen from above). Furthermore, in the case of the method shown in FIG. 13, the method is not a method in which contacts disposed at an uneven array pitch (e.g., a case in which contacts that do not overlap with the second and third rows from the top (as seen from above) are disposed between these second and third rows with respect to the wall surface of the housing 110) are press-fitted in the board. Accordingly, in the press-fitting method shown in FIG. 13, in cases where the array pitch of the contacts 120 is uneven, there may be cases in which the shoulders 123 of the respective contacts 120 cannot be pressed from above (i.e., there may be cases in which abutting parts that press the shoulders 123 from above are not provided in the contact press-fitting apparatus), so that these contacts cannot be appropriately press-fitted.
Furthermore, in the method shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B as well, numerous contacts 220A and 220B are disposed in the form of a matrix having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns (two rows and a plurality of columns in the example shown in the figure) on the wall surface of the housing 210, and the press-fitting parts 223A and 223B are also disposed in the same plurality of rows and plurality of columns as those described above (as seen from above). Moreover, in the case of the method shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B as well, this method is not a method for press-fitting contacts with an uneven array pitch (e.g., a case in which contacts that do not overlap with the contacts 220A of the upper rank and the contacts 220B of the lower rank (as seen from above) are disposed between these contacts 220A and 220B) in the board. Accordingly, in the press-fitting method shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B as well, in cases where the array pitch of the contacts is uneven, there may be cases in which the press-fitting of these uneven contacts is impossible.
Furthermore, in the case of the contact press-fitting method shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, when the press-fitting parts 223A and 223B of the contacts 220A and 220B are press-fitted in the press-fitting holes 241A and 241B of the board 240, the upper end of the contact press-fitting jig 230 in a position separated from the board 240 is pressed as the force point, so that this contact press-fitting jig 230 is moved toward the board 240; moreover, the respective recesses 231A and 231B on the side of the leg accommodating slits 231 are opened in a state in which the legs 221A and 221B of the contacts 220A and 220B are fitted into the respective recesses 231A and 231B. Accordingly, when the contact press-fitting jig 230 is moved toward the board 240, there is a danger that problems such as buckling in the press-fitting parts 223A and 223B of the respective contacts 220A and 220B, destruction of the through-hole plating of the board, or tilted insertion of the press-fitting parts may occur, so that press-fitting of the contacts 220A and 220B becomes impossible.